Tag Archives: Embedded Linux

Introduction: Product makers would find it hard to pick up off-the-shelf Linux distributions for use in their systems directly owing to the combination of bootloader, kernel, application, and development tool components not being compatible for their peripherals and hardware. Thus, a ‘roll your own’ approach to Linux is preferred and the Open Embedded (OE) build environment provides exactly that through a methodology to reliably build customized Linux distributions for your embedded devices. Open Embedded is not a Linux distro but a build system with which a Linux distro can be created.

Hope all of you have had a great start to 2016 after a much needed Christmas and New Year’s break. If you will be at CES 2016 this week (January 6-9) in Las Vegas, please do stop by the following Qualcomm® booths to take a look at Inforce Computing’s exciting Snapdragon™ processor-based compute platforms in the form of SBCs, SoMs, and development kits.

I’ve recently written a review of DragonBoard 410c with Android, one of the first board part of Linaro’s 96Boards initiative that’s supposed to get Android and Debian distributions with recent Linux kernel & U-Boot, together with full source code. Inforce Computing has now launched Inforce 6309 micro Single Board Computer (SBC) with the same footprint, albeit different connectors’ placements, and software compatible with DragonBoard 410c development board powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor. The board targets applications such as industrial automation, “sophisticated” IoE devices, medical devices, augmented reality computing, and robotics and drones. CONTINUE READING >>>>>>

Inforce has launched an 85 x 54mm “Inforce 6309 Micro SBC” that runs Linux or Android on a Snapdragon 410 and offers -30 to 85°C operation and optional PoE.
Qualcomm’s ARMv8, 64-bit Snapdragon 410 has proven to be popular among embedded developers. In addition to Inforce Computing’s new Inforce 6309 Micro SBC, we have seen the quad-core, 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 SoC used in <……….> Qualcomm’s own DragonBoard 410c SBC. CONTINUE READING HERE>>>>>

OK, have you been working on or thinking of bringing that cool high-performance next generation industrial internet-of-everything (IoE) idea to market? Are you feeling weighed down by stringent requirements such as robust upstream Linux kernel/Android OS and device driver support, extended operating temperature range (you could possibly be designing a next-gen outdoor smart signage or billboard that does real-time heavy-duty analytics, to withstand the deep freeze of the winter in Minneapolis or sizzling summers in Las Vegas or Phoenix), and your end-products have a long product lifecycle? Does your product live in hostile environments (electrical and thermal) that requires EMI noise protection, proper thermal design/heat dissipation, and are actively considering including things like Power-over-Ethernet and RS485 ports? While all of this sounds really exciting and challenging at the same time, are you struggling to find the right high-performance compute platform that fits these needs in a cost-effective and reliable way to scale to production volume manufacturing? Despair not; help is on the way in the form of the latest Inforce 6309 Micro SBC, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor!

Inforce Computing®, Inc., a leading provider of modular embedded computing platforms, today introduced the new product-ready Inforce 6401™ Micro SOM featuring the ARM®v7 ISA compatible Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 processor (APQ 8064T SoC). The Snapdragon 600 processor is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. Targeting embedded system applications that require HD video and graphics processing, ultra-low power consumption and high-performance, the Inforce 6401 is designed to make the well-proven and quad-core processing power of the Snapdragon 600 mobile platform easily accessible for a variety of space, weight and power (SWaP) constrained industrial IoE and consumer devices.

The plug-and-play Inforce 6401 Micro SOM brings forth the Snapdragon 600 processor’s rich features with support for a full set of peripheral devices to deliver a continued high standard of benefits for embedded systems developers:

Excellent Android function and peripheral support with a KitKat 4.4.2 BSP and Linux based on Ubuntu 14.10 BSP that includes drivers for Wi-Fi, BT 4.0, GPS and video acceleration up to 1080p60 resolution, three cameras up to 20MP, and highly flexible power management.

Strong support for custom carrier board design with a design assistance services package that includes reference schematics and access to a dedicated customer support engineer

Take advantage of the SDKs of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries, such as the FastCV™ computer vision SDK, the Qualcomm® Multicore Asynchronous Runtime Environment (MARE) SDK, the Qualcomm® Vuforia™ mobile vision platform, and Qualcomm Hexagon SDK, to fast-track your embedded designs

Enable interoperable connectivity and communication across different transports, platforms and operating systems among devices with the use of AllJoyn®, a collaborative open-source software framework from the AllSeen Alliance. SDK available from allseenalliance.org

“Inforce pioneered the first commercial Micro SOMs based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Our customers are engineering some of the most challenging embedded designs for the IoE. The Inforce 6401 Micro SOM fits their stringent requirements in a configuration that eases the burden of designing the most difficult part of an IoE embedded system,” said Jagat Acharya, CEO of Inforce Computing, Inc. “The Inforce 6401 Micro SOM gives system designers the maximum amount of flexibility and control over their projects by providing the core Snapdragon 600 processor functionality while exposing a maximum level of system I/O for customer designed carrier cards. Inforce 6401 Micro SOM also provides embedded designers the right path to seamless future upgrades, ensuring their products don’t get obsoleted and are competitive in the marketplace.”

A full-fledged carrier board, which comprehensively expands the I/O and connectivity

A starter kit with power supply, micro-USB cable, and an acrylic base

The Inforce 6401 Micro SOM is available now and can be ordered online here. For more information on lead times and volume pricing, please contact sales@inforcecomputing.com.

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About Inforce Computing

Inforce Computing is at the bleeding edge of modern embedded computing design. At Inforce, we are inspired by the inflection point in mobile and wireless technologies that are spawning innovative applications and services. Inforce is a leading developer of high-performance Android and Ubuntu Linux OS based product-ready hardware compute platforms for real life applications. Enhanced by working with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, Inforce designs and manufactures powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon processor-based system-on-modules (SOM) and single-board-computers (SBC) in ultra-low power and tiny form factors. Inforce Computing supplies high performance processing, networking, and embedded hardware platforms based on widely-used open standards for a variety of applications. More information can be found at www.inforcecomputing.com.

Qualcomm, Snapdragon, Adreno, Hexagon and Vuforia are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Krait and FastCV are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. Qualcomm Krait, Qualcomm Adreno, Qualcomm Hexagon and Qualcomm Multicore Asynchronous Runtime Environment are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Qualcomm Vuforia is a product of Qualcomm Connected Experiences, Inc. AllJoyn is a registered trademark of AllSeen Alliance, Inc. Other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The popular Inforce 6410Plus SBC powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 processor (APQ8064) is now available for an unbelievable price of $98, which is a savings of $45 over the regular price of $143 (bare board only). Here’s how you can order one:

That’s it! Enjoy this limited time only promotion to buy one of the most versatile and powerful ARM®v7 ISA based SBC for your exciting embedded projects. Prototype and build hands-free computing/AR Head-mounted displays, videoconferencing/collaboration, Drones, and Robotics systems. Hurry–this offer won’t last long!

A few important things to note:

This discount offer applies for the bare-board option only–No starter kit is included.

Last week’s panel discussion at the Churchill Club titled “Civilian Drones: The Opportunity Takes Flight” touched varied topics from open source autopilot designs (such as the Pixhawk PX4) that have democratized access to technologies, to auto-navigation and collision avoidance, increasing battery life and payload weight, FAA regulations, and everything in between. The past year has indeed seen frenzied activity in the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) or drone space. Several use cases have taken shape, but how many of them are going to be commercially viable and sustainable in the long run? Businesses and large corporations are actively looking to use drones to monitor their assets, infrastructure, and operations. Start-ups in this space are trying to carve a niche by differentiating with unique underlying technologies such as collision avoidance and auto-navigation, which seek to unlock the potential for new use-cases. New services that offer businesses and corporate entities instant access to professional “drone pilots” with their fleet of UAVs for hire, provide imagery and data collection for a fee. Here are a few quick takeaways from the discussions. Continue reading Commercial Drones: Where’re the Viable Use-cases and Core Technologies to Differentiate in a Crowded Marketplace?→